BRIDGEPORT 4, LOWELL 0
Second-year pro Trevor Smith tallied a pair of goals and added an assist to pace Bridgeport over visiting Lowell by a 4-0 count on Sunday at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Smith had a hand in each of the Sound Tigers’ first three goals on the afternoon, and netminder Nathan Lawson stopped all 18 shots he faced to record his first career AHL shutout.
Smith opened the game’s scoring at 9:01 of the first period. After a scoreless second, Jeremy Colliton made it 2-0 at 4:34 of the third, with Smith picking up a helper.
Bridgeport then scored twice on the power play in the game’s closing minutes. Smith tallied his team-leading 16th goal of the campaign at 16:09, and Tomas Marcinko followed at the 18:55 mark.
Lawson upped his season record to 6-0-0 with the victory.
Lowell has now lost five straight games in regulation and is winless in seven straight (0-6-0-1).
CHICAGO 4, ROCKFORD 1
Four different players lit the lamp as Chicago cruised to a 4-1 win over intra-state rival Rockford at Allstate Arena.
Defenseman Tyson Marsh, who skated in 11 games for Rockford last season, tallied his first goal of the season for the Wolves 59 seconds into the second period, and it turned out to be the game-winner.
Spencer Machacek posted a goal and a helper in the victory, while Joe Motzko and Colin Stuart added scores.
Brett Sterling chipped in a pair of assists for the Wolves, and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec earned the victory with 23 saves in his first appearance for Chicago since Oct. 31. Pavelec was reassigned by parent-club Atlanta on Friday.
Jack Skille netted the IceHogs’ lone goal on the power play.
HARTFORD 4, TORONTO 3
A three-goal second period propelled Hartford to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Toronto at the XL Center.
Trailing 3-1, the Wolf Pack received second-period markers from Jordan Owens, Matt Stefanishion, and Greg Moore in a 12:02 span.
Tommy Pyatt also scored for the Wolf Pack, and goaltender Miika Wiikman stopped all 16 shots he faced after relieving Matt Zaba early in the second period.
Richard Petiot, Bates Battaglia, and Alex Foster lit the lamp for the Marlies, whose three-game points streak (2-0-0-1) came to an end.
PORTLAND 3, WORCESTER 2
Portland scored twice in the third period to rally for a 3-2 win over visiting Worcester at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
The Pirates entered the final 20 minutes trailing 2-1, but ex-Shark Mathieu Darche tallied the equalizer just 1:10 into the period. Marek Zagrapan followed with the eventual game-winner at 9:21.
The Sharks initially took a 2-0 lead as Matt Fornataro scored in the opening period and Patrick Traverse in the second stanza. Portland’s Colin Murphy cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into the third.
Pirates goaltender Jhonas Enroth emerged with the victory, finishing with 41 saves on 43 shots.
PROVIDENCE 3, SPRINGFIELD 0
Second-year goaltender Tuukka Rask made 23 saves for his third shutout of the season as Providence took a 3-0 win over visiting Springfield at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
After a scoreless opening frame, the Bruins received power play goals from Mikko Lehtonen and Martins Karsums in the second period.
Wacey Rabbit, who assisted on Karsums’ marker, added a third goal with 2:32 to play in the game.
The Falcons have now lost three in a row and dropped to 3-10-1-0 in their last 14 contests.
HERSHEY 3, LAKE ERIE 2 (SO)
Andrew Gordon’s goal in the fifth round of the shootout lifted Hershey to a 3-2 win over visiting Lake Erie before 7,251 fans at the Giant Center.
Chris Bourque also scored in the shootout for the Bears, while goaltender Simeon Varlamov stopped four of Lake Erie’s five tries after making 23 saves through the first 65 minutes.
The Monsters took a pair of one-goal leads in regulation, receiving scores from Jesse Boulerice and Kyle Cumiskey. Hershey responded each time, as Quintin Laing and Kyle Wilson lit the lamp.
The Bears secured their second straight win and are leading the AHL overall at 22-7-0-1 (45 points).
MILWAUKEE 4, IOWA 1
Jed Ortmeyer netted a pair of goals as Milwaukee snapped a brief two-game losing skid with a 4-1 win over visiting Iowa at the Bradley Center.
Nick Spaling and Stephen Werner also scored for the Admirals, who were coming off a pair of losses in Grand Rapids to begin the weekend.
Milwaukee goaltender Mark Dekanich earned the victory with 28 saves on 29 shots.
Drew Miller scored for the Chops, who dropped to 1-4-0-1 in their last six outings.
GRAND RAPIDS 6, ROCHESTER 0
Ville Leino scored twice as Grand Rapids overwhelmed Rochester in a 6-0 road win over the Amerks at the Blue Cross Arena.
Darren Helm and Francis Pare each had a goal and an assist for the Griffins, while Evan McGrath and Mattias Ritola also lit the lamp.
Grand Rapids received multiple-assist contributions from defensemen Jakub Kindl (0-3-3) and Jason Jozsa (0-2-2), and goaltender Daniel Larsson made 38 saves for his third shutout of the year.
The Griffins have matched a season high with a four-game winning streak, the last two of which have come via the shutout.
PEORIA 4, HOUSTON 3 (SO)
Peoria coughed up a three-goal lead in regulation but emerged with a 4-3 shootout win over visiting Houston at Carver Arena.
Julian Talbot, Jonathan Filewich, and Chris Conner all scored in the shootout for the Rivermen, who converted on three of their four attempts.
The Rivermen took a 3-0 lead by the 4:40 mark of the second period on goals by Josh Soares, Steve Wagner, and Steve Regier, who scored shorthanded.
Peoria goaltender Ben Bishop earned the victory, making 19 saves through the first 65 minutes before stopping three of four in the shootout.
The Aeros’ Corey Locke sent the game to overtime by scoring at 19:30 of the third period. Marco Rosa and Tomas Mojzis also scored in regulation for Houston, and Morten Madsen had their lone shootout tally.
